‘Hunger Games’ Tweets Spur Debate About Racism

By

Lyneka Little

Mar 30, 2012 7:34 am ET

Tweets questioning the casting of actors of color in “The Hunger Games” have spurred a debate about racism on the web. In the book, this is how “Hunger Games” author Suzanne Collins describes Rue: “Up close she looks about ten. She has bright, dark eyes and satiny brown skin…” That pretty much looks like Amandla Stenberg, the talented young actress who was cast as Rue in the movie. And even if it didn’t look exactly like her, it’s a fantasy/sci-fi film! Nonetheless, there have been some tweets questioning her casting in the part by “Hunger Games” fans who imagined a white actress in the role when they read the books. One tweet, collected by the Hunger Game Tweets tumblr, reads “why does Rue have to be black not gonna lie kinda ruined the movie.” A few other characters in the movie, including Cinna (Lenny Kravitz) are also played by actors of color. Another commentator reportedly wrote “why did the producer make all the good characters black.” Of course you can find idiots saying nearly anything if you search the web hard enough, but the racist “Hunger Games” tweets, because of they are so shockingly ignorant even by the standards of the fringes of the internet, have kicked up a storm. In a statement responding to some of the odd criticism, Stenberg took the high road. “As a fan of the books, I feel fortunate to be part of ‘The Hunger Games’ family,” Stenberg said, according to E! Online. “It was an amazing experience. I am proud of the film and my performance. I want to thank all of my fans and the entire ‘Hunger Games’ community for their support and loyalty.” [E! Online]